In the specialized field of thermocouple manufacture, the stripping of insulation from 30/36 gauge (0.010"/0.005" diameter) wire presents a significant problem. In one embodiment, a thermocouple is formed from two dissimilar metal wires manufactured with a very thin insulation of TEFLON.RTM., about each individual wire, with an additional insulation wrap about both wires.
To form the thermocouple, one who is skilled in the art must strip a length of insulation from both wires, then twist the bare wires and weld them. Because the wires are extremely delicate, they are easily damaged. A sharp edge on the stripping tool may cause a nick in the wire that will result in premature failure of the thermocouple.
Conventional, all-purpose, wire strippers, such as used by commercial electricians, are much too rugged for the delicate wires of a thermocouple. "No-nick", plier-like, stripping tools are available, but the precision available for stripping thermocouple cable is only useable on a single wire, necessitating splitting the outer insulation so that each wire may be stripped individually a tedious and time intensive process to remove three pieces of insulation.
It is also possible to use heat from a flame to burn the insulation away. However, this is very imprecise and somewhat dangerous. A specialized thermal wire stripper is available, but the retail price is in excess of $200--not very cost effective and not portable. One last resort for this process is to pinch the insulation between a finger and the thumbnail, and to pull the insulation off of the wires after removing the outer layer and splitting the conductor pair. Unfortunately, this method becomes difficult, time consuming, and the fingernail eventually wears from repeated usage.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is an inexpensive wire stripping apparatus that reliably and simultaneously removes the insulation from both wires of duplex thermocouple cable without damaging the wire and to eliminate the need for replacement cutting blades.